A crack in the line
by frozeyourheart
Summary: AU. You're biting your lower lip as your stare at the computer's screen, checking to see if anything needs to be fixed. & that's when the door opens once again. That's when he comes in. That's when the life you've built is utterly ruined.


**DISCLAIMER** : I don't own _Twilight_ , or any of its characters.

* * *

 **A CRACK IN THE LINE: PROLOGUE** **.**

You're seventeen when you realize your mother is deeply unhappy.

You think _you_ are to be blamed, of course. It's just the fact that she's gotten married,  & her husband is constantly travelling. & because of _you_ , she cannot accompany him.

So you decide to move out.

It's not an easy choice to make, but you've always been a martyr, one of those who like to suffer in silence while pretending everything's fine. You say goodbye to the brown & the heat & the sun, trying to embrace now the green & the cold & the rain. Your new home. _God_ , such word sounds foreign when applied to a town like Forks.

It sounds _wrong_.

* * *

The first few days around Charlie are awkward, though he does leave you alone to settle in, maybe because he's too busy looking into an animal attack: a girl's body has been found, right after your arrival. Damaged beyond recognition. You _grimace_ & recoil at the news, dreaming of taking a plane back to Phoenix, still promising you'll be careful.

School starts & you're shocked, for you've never been the center of attention, you've _never_ attracted many stares. Here, however, you've gathered a small group of admirers,  & even a decent group of friends. You spend your days conversing quietly with Angela, your Biology partner, helping her understand what you've already studied. Weeks go by, laughing at Tyler's jokes, rolling your eyes at Jessica's _gossip **(**_ She seems to be obssessed with a family - the _Cullers_? You can't help but _forget_ the name as soon as she's pronounced it - who moved away when the girl was attacked. According to Jess, they had been gorgeous, but too good for anyone at school,  & you wonder _which_ of them turned her down. _**)**_ & fighting off Mike's advances. You even let him take you out once, but ultimately decide you're better off as friends. He's disappointed, but moves on rather quickly, filling you with relief at the prospect of not bringing tension to the group.

You let a few tears escape from your eyes at night, for a while. Yet you _never_ complain.

& surprisingly, things do get better.

One evening Charlie invites his friend, Billy, & his son Jacob tags along, the one you used to play with when you were young. You instantly like him, his warm smile, his _innocence_ , the way he always seems to light up the room. A year goes by, a year of spending time in his garage, watching him fix the _rabbit_ , a year of feeling happier than you've _ever_ felt.  & when you turn _eighteen_ , your friends throw you a surprise party, making you once again blush at being on the spotlight, though you do get emotional over the gesture.

Not even in _Phoenix_ could you find such warmth, a place where you fit in.

* * *

You're now in your last year of high school, already having decided you're gonna pursue an English Major. Your relationship with Charlie has improved & now you actually think you're gonna miss his company after leaving for college. Acceptances arrive from many places, yet the one that comes from _Darmouth_ surprises you the most. Never in a million years would you have thought you could get, between _thousands_ of applicant, a scholarship there. Charlie boasts about it at every single opportunity, tinting your cheeks with blood,  & you call Jake _immediately_ after finding out the news.

He, however, sounds off.

 _Sick_ , even.

Billy tells you he's got mono, but you don't entirely believe it. _Bella,_ he says. _You can't come see him until he's gotten better._ So you let it be, for now. That week you hear about a _more_ attacks, accepting the pepper spray your dad gives you _without_ rolling your eyes.

After a month you've had enough: you drive to La Push, ready to kick down the door & make sure your best friend is okay. He's not there, that's what his father tells you. In response you push the door open, realizing he's telling the truth, & that Jacob's not sick _at all_.  & on the way back you spot him, whose hair trimmed, who seems to have grown too much in _too little_ _time_. He used to look like eighteen, but now it's as if he were _twenty-three_. You ask him what happened, but he _refuses_ to answer.

 _We can't be friends anymore._

& that's the _only_ time you wish you hadn't come to Forks.

* * *

Jacob doesn't call. You _sometimes_ see him, from a distance, however you two never speak again.  & though it pains you, & you miss him, you let him go. You'll be going away to college soon, so perhaps it's for the best.

Graduation is here. Jessica gives a lovely speech, & you smile from your seat, surrounded by all your friends. The party afterwards is entertaining, even for _you_ , the one that's never liked going out. It is also too short, & you soon find yourself _packing_ your bags, a knot in your stomach when thinking about leaving Charlie _alone_.

You _cry_ when you leave. He does, too.

* * *

College isn't particularly _exciting_ , & you work hard to keep your grades up. You get a job at a coffee shop, earning enough money to live while spending your nights at the library, trying not to doze off on your American Literature essays. But you love _every_ second of it, even make a few friends, although they're nothing like those from Forks, the ones you miss _constantly_.

You're _twenty-one_ when you meet _him_.

After a particularly tiring afternoon at work, you find yourself only starting an essay due tomorrow, _cursing_ yourself for forgetting it entirely. Halfway through it your eyelids _close_ , too heavy to remain open, & that's when you feel a hand tapping your shoulder.

His eyes are the _greenest_ ones you've ever seen, staring kindly down at you,  & his hair is unruly, black, _untamable_. He tells you that you're drooling on your papers, an amused smirk on his face,  & you profusely apologize, turning a deep shade of red. But he _still_ sits besides you, making small talk  & offering to help if you're sleepy. You say _no_ , of course, muttering a _thank you_ before turning back to your paper.

 _Cameron_ , that's his name. He asks for yours, & you keep bumping into him at the library, during those hours nobody bothers to set foot in it. & after a while, he asks you out.

& you say _yes_ , because why not?

Not half an year passes & you're already his girlfriend. You're not head over heels for him, but he's definitely nice, & good-looking, & kind, & he makes you feel wanted. Appreciated. _Comfortable_.

You even take him to meet Charlie during winter break.

* * *

It's when you turn twenty-two that the world comes crashing down. You stare down at the _offensive_ little stick your pale fingers hold, swallowing hard  & blinking, in hopes of making it _go away_.

It does not.

The little plus sign saying you are, indeed, _pregnant_.

You freak out, because how are you going to finish college with a child on the way? How are you going to be a mother & a full-time student & work at the coffee shop? Your heart _throbs_ , your mind _shuts down_ , your stomach _empties_ itself.  & you even consider getting an abortion, but _immediately_ shiver at the thought. You could not take a life, let alone the life of someone you already feel attached to.

So you tell Cameron. & _Charlie_ , & _your mother_. They're all surprised: your parents are also disappointed, Cameron _nervous_. Yet they all promise to support you  & help you through it, & you stay at college until winter, finishing another year, even though you don't know if you're gonna be returning. _Then_ , you move back with your dad, feeling strangely comforted at the sight of the little town you used to hate so much.

* * *

You give birth to a _baby girl_.

Her name's Vanessa, & you couldn't love her more. Never in you life have you seen anyone so perfect, so _beautiful_. When her little hand wraps around your finger you sob, whispering her name in a _soothing_ voice, vowing to take care of her forever.

You don't go back to college.

Cameron transfers to a school in Seattle, to be closer to you & Nessie. Once he's gotten his degree, he says, he'll get a decent job to support you both. But you don't like that, not one bit, saying you want to work too, & soon.

Life's calm for a while, if only a bit _boring_ , full of nappies & cries & _sleepless_ nights. Nevertheless, you _enjoy_ spending time with your daughter, with your father, with Cameron.

He proposes when Nessie is two months old.

& again, you say _yes_ , because it feels like the right thing to do.

* * *

You both save enough money to buy a small apartment in Seattle.

He works at a law firm, you're _unemployed_ for a while,  & you hate every minute of it. Charlie & Reneé have given you some money: not much but it'll last for a while. & when Nessie's almost one year old, you find a job at a book store _**(**_ you've always been rather attatched to books, haven you not? _**)**_ , spending your mornings dreaming about _owning_ one of your own, spending your afternoons raising your daughter. She becomes more beautiful every single day,  & you can't help but be proud.

Of her, & of _yourself_ , too.

* * *

She's _six_ now,  & it's her first day of school. You're woken up by her little finger poking you, excited green eyes shining in the darkness of your room. With a laugh, you help her get ready, making breakfast in the process, trying _unsuccessfully_ to drag Cameron out of bed.

You make it just in time. Nessie spends the whole ride shouting that you're gonna be late, & you try to reassure her, even though you know she'll be the last kid to arrive, shooting your husband an annoyed glance for taking so long to get ready. When you get there, you hurry her inside, a warm, nostalgic smile stretching your pale lips when Nessie says she loves you & runs inside her classroom. A few good minutes are spent just _watching_ her, wondering how the hell she's grown up so quickly, before you realize you're the only parent left.  & then you go back to the car, chatting with Cameron until he drops you off at the shop.

 _Your_ shop.

' _Bella's_ ' is a cozy book store & café, located at the heart of the city. Your heart swells up with _pride_ , just like every morning, as you turn the little sign on the door, so it will now say ' _COME IN!_ '. The barista rushes in twenty minutes afterwards, slightly late, as per usual. But you simply smile at her patiently from behind your desk, waiting for your customers to arrive. You're full of _smiles_ when they do, helping out when they cannot decide what book to buy, recommending your favourites when you get the chance.  & your kindness, it is not _fake_ , for working here makes you _happy_.

Things calm down at three on the afternoon, when everyone gets their lunch break. You, however, decide to stay in & do some inventory, chewing your lower lip as your stare at the computer's screen, checking to see if _anything_ needs to be fixed.

That's when the door opens once again.

That's when _he_ comes in.

That's when your life is _ruined_.

* * *

 **NOTE** : So, this is an idea I got while sleeping. I literally woke up in the middle of the night & was like _what if the Cullens left before Bella arrived? What if Bella & Edward met when she was older? & had a family? & a life?_ You could say I have a thing for drama. Anyways, I've already planned the whole story. I've written the outline for it, & shall be updating when I finish writing chapter one, & obviously if people are interested in this story. I apologise for the lack of Edward, I just needed to set this up for the real story to take place. & worry not! Only the prologue will be written in this style. The rest of it will be either in first person or in third, from Bella's POV. Although I'm considering writing some outtakes from Edward's as well, once the story is finished. Thanks for reading & let me know what you think!


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